Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-11-11
OLYMPIA. WASHINGTON TER.
OLYMPIA, FRIDAY EVENING. N0'. II. 1857.
Poor Reward for Party Service.

Poor Reward for Party Service.
Mr.. Tony Noltner, in taking leave
OF the Portland World, a tru2-blue
Democratic organ, says parenthetcal-
ly: al have no idea of again engaging
in the field OF journalism as editor or
manager OF paper. My work is done
in this line. | have endeavored to
serve my party and country for the
past twenty-five years, and at all times
| have done so with an earnest pur-
pose to secure the success of the DEM
ocratic party, forgetting personal in
terest and pecuniary consideration"
The writer can fully realize the con-
flicting emotions under which the
above words were written by Mr..
Noltner. After twenty-seven years of
similar service, the conditions exists
for the writer to form thorough ap-
probation of the feelings of relief and
regret, that must accompany change
so radical as the abandonment of a
lifelong vocation even though it has
been sustained by sense OF impera-
tive duty, united with incessant and
arduous labor. Few people realize the
degree OF industry, of energy, OF zeal
and enterprise, that is essential to
keep newspaper within the current
the shoals that have wrecked large
majority of such undertakings, and
fewer still accord any credit for duty
we'll performed.
This is no fault OF mankind in the
aggregate. The human heart is so
embued with selfishness that to expect
recognition of individual effort I'M
less it serves purpose that may be
appropriated by others, would be the
height of presumption, and the
plaudits cease soon as the effort is
successful and the object accom-
plished. The past twenty-sevcn years
afford innumerable evidences of this
trait of humanity, in the experience Of
the writer. How often has he been
called upon to turn the mythical
grindstone for the sharpening of pop
uiar tools! How often has he been
used to subserve public purposes,
without thought of recompense, or
even the thanks of the community
after it was performed! How unsev-
eringly the people turn to established
journals of known influence, whenever
their interests are menaced by danger.
and how soon do they forget the SER
vice soon as the peril is past!
Mr.. Noltner had served the Demo
cratic party faithfully many long years
before his party came into power. He
had stood the blunt of many a sharply
contested battle, and uncomplaingly
in defeat accepted the results of war.
Nobody can Justly charge that he did
it in the hope of reward, for the
chances of success have been, during
the greater part of the past quarter
century, so remote, that nobody but a
fool would have based any thought of
preferment upon such an intangible
foundation. 1t was a matter of con-
science resulting in acts of duty. The
tardy recognition Of this service by
the award of petty Office in the Gus
tom House, Of small salary and I'M
certain tenure, in return for the efforts
of the best years of his life and the
thousands of dollars sacrificed that
might in any other business have Sc
cured him a competency for life, is
indeed poor return for labors that
made Democratic success possible.
We are not surprised that he expresses
determination never again to enter
the field of party journalism, and he
is not alone in this feeling. Very few
of those who have "kept the flag fly
ing" would pass the ordeal again,
when under the new-fangled ideas of
civil service reform, it is made the
means of political ostracism, and
favors are often bestowed under it on
the weather-cocks who have been its
most violent opposers.